Month: November 2010

This amateur boxing club began operating in a local rec center in North Vancouver with one instructor, Dave Brett, who is also the company’s manager and owner. After building support for a few years from member in the community, Griffins expanded to a 6500 square foot location in 2003.

Dave Brett took a great risk when he decided to expand his facilities. He, along with the help of family members and close friends, provided over 60% of the funding required to start up the business. The rest, of course, came from a loan from the bank. These expenses needed to cover the major renovations that were necessary for the facility along with the development of staff and equipment. Dave Brett was able to create a boxing club that was unique to the community in that it provided a variety of different programs that could be related to anyone who wanted to become active, learn a new skill, or just have fun. He developed an innovative and patented “Glove System” that differentiated him from any other competitive boxing club. 

Within less than five years, Griffins became a million dollar company and has received wide acclaim from critics. Dave was nominated for Business Person of the Year in 2008 and 2009. Griffins received the News Reader’s Choice Award Best Boxing Gym (2006) and the Innovation Award (2006).

Griffins was able to reach out to its targets in the community and was able to position itself as a new and different boxing club. Along with his innovative Glove System, high risks involving company start-ups, and the substantial wealth Dave and Griffins has received, this company can genuinely be classified as an entrepreneurship that has accomplished great success.

Link to Griffins’s Website:

http://www.griffinsboxing.com/default.html

In a recent article, Sir Richard Branson, founder and leader of the Virgin Group stated how people are a business’s most important asset.

Richard Branson operates many companies in many different genres of business. These include Virgin Mobile to Virgin Airlines and many others in between. After having the many years of experience in the world of business and founding tremendous success, he believes none of it would be possible without the company’s employees.

Branson ensures the highest quality of employee character by offering unique methods of training along with proper employee treatment. By being a very personal leader to his employees, he is able to transfer his level of energy and charisma to the employees in order for them to develop the personality standards that Branson and the Virgin Group stand for. One way he does this is by giving every single employee his cell phone number so they are able to personally contact him if they needed help and to ensure the employees that Virgin management is there for them.

Branson also stresses how one can’t always be right when looking to hire certain people that initially seem to fit the personality criteria that would be suitable for the company. In such situations, it is important to act decisively and swiftly to ensure the problem does not continue. These type of decision making skills can be applied to all aspects of business mangament. When people are in certain roles that decisions must be made, they must -like Richard Branson- act swiftly so the company can fully benefit and prosper and not be negatively affected.

The employees and managers that make up any company are key to any business’s success. A company with enthusiastic, determined, and effective workers is on a path of prosperity and profit. The best kind of employees are the most valuable asset and as Richard Branson states: ” a key part of building a successful business is people, people, people.”

Link to the article:

http://www.canadianbusiness.com/after_hours/opinions/article.jsp?content=20101108_10003_10003&page=1